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Seizing on a story in Saturday’s edition of Newsday, Sen. Eric Schneiderman’s campaign for attorney general sent along the below letter from New York City Council members Brad Lander and Melissa Mark-Viverito. They ask why Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, another contender to be the Democratic candidate for AG, didn’t vote in the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush.

Rice told Newsday it was a “mistake” to not vote earlier in her professional career.

Dear Ms. Rice,

As progressives who have fought for core values like a woman’s right to choose, civil liberties, and a judiciary that appreciates civil rights, among many others, we were distressed to learn that you did not see any reason to cast a vote for Al Gore over George Bush in 2000, while you were living in a battleground state, no less. As you know, this was literally the closest presidential election in history, where the stakes could not be higher and where an individual’s vote, particularly in a swing state like Pennsylvania, could not be more important.

To explain this decision, you have used the excuse that “like a lot of young adults early in their professional lives, I failed to see the political significance of casting a ballot.” However, let us be clear: you were not a young person at this time, but a 35-year-old practicing attorney.

In all candor, if you could not see the “political significance” in voting for Al Gore over George Bush, one of the most destructive presidents of all time, then we have serious reason to question your judgment and commitment to core progressive values.

What was it that made such a decision so difficult? Did you fail to see the political significance of Bush’s promise to appoint anti-choice judges, his obsession with Iraq, or his commitment to eroding civil liberties? With all due respect, we believe that until such time that you can explain this decision, you are ill-suited to represent the Democratic Party as our nominee for Attorney General.

Sincerely,
Brad Lander & Melissa Mark-Viverito
New York City Council Members

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